In September, the President spoke
passionately about this issue, noting that human trafficking is an
issue that ought to concern every person, community, business, and
nation around the world. Making good on those words, during the trip the
President secured new commitments
from the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
to strengthen and harmonize their anti-trafficking laws, and established
a landmark joint plan with the Government of Burma to help eliminate that country’s use of forced labor, including child soldiers.

At the President’s request, on Tuesday we had the pleasure of joining
U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia William Todd in gathering with trafficking
survivors in Cambodia, as well as some of our partners who are working
to combat the crime. The conversations we had with trafficking survivors
and advocates on the front lines of this fight left us feeling inspired
by their courage, and encouraged by some of the progress made to date,
but also concerned about the ongoing vulnerability of Cambodians to
human trafficking.

Ending human trafficking is a top U.S. priority in Cambodia. To get
there, progress will have to be made in preventing trafficking,
protecting survivors, and holding offenders accountable. Our partners
help educate the public to understand the key ways in which traffickers
seek to exploit the vulnerable, particularly those migrating to
neighboring countries for work. They also provide victims with
rehabilitation services and vocational training, and train law
enforcement personnel to more effectively investigate and prosecute
perpetrators.

We first met a group of young Cambodians who were part of the
U.S.-funded MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) campaign. MTV
EXIT is providing youth in Cambodia with training and mentorship on
using art, drama, and technology as tools for communicating messages
about safe migration and the dangers posed to at-risk communities –
especially Cambodia’s rural poor. We watched these imaginative youth
perform a short skit in which a child resisted the manipulations of a
recruiter, and we viewed their paintings depicting the ways in which
trafficking networks strike. We were told that these vivid paintings
would soon be hanging in villages in which Cambodians are known to be
recruited and exploited.

We also met with several survivors of labor and sex trafficking who
receive U.S.-funded legal and rehabilitation assistance. After surviving
the unimaginable, these brave men and women described their efforts to
speak out about their experiences, to try to ensure the perpetrators are
held accountable, and to teach others how to protect themselves, all
the while helping reduce the stigma surrounding this crime. It was
moving to be in the presence of their remarkable courage, as well as to
witness the indefatigable work of the shelters and legal aid
organizations that assist them.

Lastly, we sat down with anti-trafficking non-governmental leaders to
discuss their efforts, particularly the rarity with which offenders are
prosecuted. Last year, there were 62 trafficking-related convictions in
Cambodia, an increase from the year before, but nevertheless a
relatively small number given the scope of the challenge. Indeed, the
leaders we met with identified prosecution as the weakest link in
Cambodia’s efforts to combat human trafficking, reporting that survivors
are often treated like criminals, and have little hope of seeing
justice meted out to their victimizers.

The roundtable participants noted the important gender dimensions to
trafficking. While a significant percentage of trafficking in Cambodia
involves men being lured into forced labor, the advocates noted that
female trafficking survivors often have a more difficult time
reintegrating into society. They also noted that until the broader
society values its women as much as its men, women will continue to be
vulnerable to exploitation.

Participants described some steps that the Cambodian government had
taken to combat trafficking, but stressed the need to do far more, given
the horrors being experienced by those living in slavery. As President
Obama said during his meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, if
the Cambodian government steps up to prioritize fighting corruption,
strengthening the rule of law, and protecting the rights of all
Cambodians, including the vulnerable, it will find a willing partner in
the United States. In the meantime, we will continue to support
education aimed at prevention, law enforcement training, and the
rehabilitation of those who have survived this horrible crime.

Valerie Jarrett is Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President
for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement. Samantha Power is
the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for
Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the National Security Council.